Flash Fiction #6

Lily sighed and leaned her head back against the break room wall. “I mean, I am. I just… I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” she said.

“Have you told Nik yet?” Gen asked, and put her arm around Lily’s shoulders, giving her a little squeeze.

She shook her head.

“How do you think he’s going to react?”

“Dunno. We haven’t really talked about it before,” she answered. Panic suddenly seized her. “Oh god, what if he freaks out?”

“Hey, hey,” Gen said soothingly. “He’s a good guy, and he loves you. I don’t think he’s going to freak out. Not over something like this.”

Letting out a shaky breath, Lily nodded. She knew her friend was right, but it was just so sudden. It wasn’t part of her plan. It hadn’t even been mentioned in their plans for the future, at least not in any definite way. After everything that had happened over the past year and a half, it had been pretty low on the list of priorities.

“Look, you can stay here as long as you need to,” Gen told her. “I need to get back out there.”

“Thanks.”

Gen returned to the front of the shop and left Lily alone to collect herself. She fished her phone out of her bag, her thumb hovering over the message app for a moment. No, this isn’t text-appropriate news, she told herself. This was something she would need to tell Nik in person. He would be home in an hour, probably already on his way or just about to leave work. Instead of messaging him, she called and asked him to pick her up outside of Gen’s store.

* * *

“Are you going to tell me why you’re so quiet?” Nik asked as they walked into the house. “That isn’t like you.”

She paused on her way up to the main floor, and then turned to face him. “I’m pregnant.”

“You’re…”

“Pregnant,” she finished. “I’m sorry, I know we really haven’t talked about having kids-”

Before Lily could finish, Nik swept her into a tight hug and kissed her. She inhaled sharply, happily surprised at the response. He moved back almost as quickly, checking her over. “I’m not hurting you, am I?” he asked.

“No, no,” she assured him, blinking back tears. “It’s okay?”

“Of course it is. This is wonderful news.” He cupped her face with his two, large, warm hands and smiled at her. “Ya tebya lyublyu.”1

Her eyes flooded with a fresh set of tears. “Ya tozhe tebya lyublyu.”2